My musings on the New Testament, Early Christianity, Religion, Literature, and Other Phenomena and Ephemera.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Into the Western Skies

Having been couped up in NYC with all of its light pollution, I had not noticed something in the western sky that has been occurring, it seems, since November for a few hours after sunset. Indeed, while I am currently ensconced in the midwest and a much clearer night sky, I was startled to see an immensely bright object in the western sky very near the moon. At first I wasn't even sure what it was, but had a hunch which was proven correct by later inquiry--it is Venus, the third brightest object in the sky from our vantagepoint (after the sun and the moon).

On November 30, you could see it in conjunction to Jupiter. Tomorrow night, December 31, it will be at its closest conjunction to the moon! (So head out and look at the two brightest objects in the night sky next to each other.) On Jan. 22, with the help of binoculars or a telescope, you can see Venus one degree away from Uranus. Venus will continue to appear brighter every evening and reach its brightest appearance, appropriately, just after Valentine's Day.

If you, like me, went a long time without noticing, get out where you can see the night sky and take a look--it is really bright.

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About Me

I have a Ph.D. in Religion from Columbia University. I am a visiting assistant professor at Illinois College. I have also taught at the University of Mississippi, Illinois Wesleyan University, and Columbia University. My research focuses on the New Testament and emergent Christian interactions with ancient Judaism in their Greco-Roman and ancient Near Eastern environments.